Nightwatch
by psychedelic aya
Summary: [Oneshot. MitsuruxMahiru.] “Take care of the princess.” That was the purpose of nightwatch. He hated the princess, so it was only right he hated nightwatch too. Yet the others wondered why he constantly did it anyway...


**Authoress' Ramblings: **Ah, another Mikan no Tsuki one-shot from moi. HAHAHAHAH. Oh well. I have no idea where I got this idea, considering the fact that I wrote this AGES ago but only continued it now, so…there. LOL. But wait! I have to gush about something. MITSURU WAS SO TERRIBLY SWEET IN BOOK 5! And he didn't know he was being sweet the whole time, but he was! YAY, YAY! I can't wait for book six. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE RELEASED IN JUNE! It's too long! WAY TOO LONG! …but, er. Oh well. Maybe I should go to Japan and buy the original series. I need it. Desperately. But I don't have money. Noooooo…

**DiSCLAiMER:** Pray tell, if I owned them, would I be making this? No! I would be already making a sequel to Mikan no Tsuki! Or an anime! Some people have all the luck… nevertheless, all hail the great mangaku Haruko Iida and storywriter Takamura Matsuda! And of course, Red Company too. They own this, not me. I'm just a deluded fan trying to let out her fangirlishness on fanfics.

So, I hope you enjoy!

---

**Nightwatch  
**_By psychedelic aya_

He hated nightwatch.

But he had to do it, because it was Oboro-_sama's_ orders. (Note that at the thought of the suffix, there is sarcasm and a roll of eyes.)

"Take care of the princess," The old man would say. "Keep her safe the whole night. Watch her as she sleeps."

That simple annoying task was the purpose of their _nightwatch._ Each of them, taking turns per night, would watch their _hime-dono_ so that she wouldn't get into any trouble. She was, in any case, an _avatar_ for trouble. Or at least some certain people thought she was.

He thought she was.

But it was to be expected that he would think so. He was the certain tengu boy who said he hated the so-called princess, after all. So it was only right that he hated nightwatch too.

Oboro had taken in his complaint, and told him he could be excused, since he was already the _hime-dono_'s bodyguard of sorts, not to mention personal helicopter. (Note there is a chorus of snickers at the mention of "personal helicopter", as well as a killer glare.)

So he was excused, and he didn't have to do his turn.

…But the others constantly wondered why he still did anyway.

---

He saw her there, lying on the carpeted floor, unmoving.

Her hair was scattered all about, and her face was buried in her crossed elbows. She was lying face-down, with different kinds of art materials scattered around—papers and pencils were _everywhere_—it was a sheer mess.

Mitsuru Suou rolled his eyes he peeped into the room of the princess. As aforementioned, it was his turn to do nightwatch (a thing he hated very much doing, especially with the princess to take care after)—he had to check her room every three hours to ensure her safety. Like he'd normally care, he would think with a grunt; but he did it anyway.

"What an idiot," He mumbled, as entering her room. He flipped on the light switch and stepped over the many materials on the floor, carefully at that; he didn't want her to scold him for ruining her things when she woke up. Seeing the mess was far _greater_ than he had thought, he suddenly wondered, "What the hell was she doing here, anyway?"

His sharp eyes averted all around—and then he found what he was looking for.

It was beside Mahiru, a large graffiti-type canvas with _art_ screaming all over it. There was paint, pencil, crayon—even cut out pictures; and everything was arranged to make a scene.

Mitsuru arched his eyebrow as he observed the so-called masterpiece. He admitted he was interested in human artworks—seeing as they frequently stole from museums and the like; but he would never admit such a thing nor would he show any appreciation for it.

But still… this particular piece made him curious.

"What is it anyway?"

It was a scene at night, that was for sure, judging by the dark colors she used and the pastel moon she drew above.

The landscape seemed very familiar to him—although he couldn't place just what it reminded him of.

As Mitsuru continued on staring at it, criticizing it slowly; he failed to notice the princess shift slightly beside him.

"Mmmm…" Mahiru mumbled, clearly enjoying her sleep. "Mitsuru…"

Now _that_ caught his attention.

Swirling black eyes turned immediately to the girl on the floor, who suddenly moved about and changed positions. Now, she was on her side, her features facing him.

"What the hell…" Mitsuru muttered in both annoyance and embarrassment, as kneeling down and staring closer at the princess' face. "Damn girl…" He flushed in awkwardness. "Why the heck is she calling me when she's asleep?"

He decided that maybe he _didn't_ want to know.

So instead, trying to forget about what just happened; he rolled his eyes and picked Mahiru up. He carried her in his arms, muttering profanities as he did so—but at the same time, he also whispered under his breath how she would probably have an uncomfortable sleep if she stayed at the floor.

Not like he _really _cared, but he didn't want to hear her unending babbling and complaints the next morning.

Her grip on him, to say the least, was very _unexpected_; how her fingers clutched tightly on the fabric of his shirt—in fact, it was a little bit _too tightly_ and _too strongly_ for someone who looked like she was sleeping.

Or was she even _really _sleeping?

He knew the girl had her way when it came to deceiving (she most usually did this when she wanted something yet couldn't acquire it; he shuddered as a memory of her cravings for ice cream flashed in his head). But nevertheless, he wondered, if she did want something, what could it be? He knew that she knew about him taking nightwatch today—so could it be that what she was scheming had something to do with him?

"Stupid girl."

Mitsuru arched his eyebrows in both annoyance and confusion. Gritting his teeth as he finally reached the girl's bed, he released his hold on her in an attempt to place her down. (Or _drop_ her down on her bed, more rather.)

Only to be pulled along for the ride.

With a small _oomph_ and loudly sworn curse, Mitsuru stumbled clumsily atop the princess' bed. "Dammit," He hissed, his mind trying to register what had just happened. "The frickin' woman won't let go of me!" He tried not to be too loud, considering his position wouldn't be too compromising if his fellow comrades awoke and saw him. Half of him was on top of her, for crying out loud! And so, various (and continuous) curses were muttered in an undertone.

And amidst all of the tengu's vocabulary and anger, the princess remained peaceful in her slumber.

Noticing this, of course, only made the aforementioned Lunar Race member fume more.

"Mahiru," He hissed her name, angrily, in an attempt to wake her up. "Dammit, let go of me!"

He didn't expect her to reply, of course, seeing as she slept like a rock; so imagine his surprise when he saw her suddenly shake her head.

"I don't…" Mahiru replied, trailing off. Her voice was slurred, and it was as if she didn't know what she was saying. "…Mitsuru…"

Her breath fanned the side of his cheek, and he grew pale at their closeness. What was he supposed to do? He pressed his hands harder onto the mattress, supporting his weight so that he wouldn't completely fall on her. Another string of colorful curses passed his mind. "Dammit, woman, if you don't let go of me right now I'll—"

There was a knocking from outside, suddenly, and the abrupt sound cut his words off.

"Mahiru-chan?"

Another set of knocks, then another voice followed.

"Are you alright? We heard something bump to the wall…"

Mitsuru's eyes widened. '_Damn.'_ Damn him and his clumsiness. His elbow must've jabbed the wooden wall while he was trying to drop Mahiru down her bed, making Nozomu and the damned sensitive-eared Akira hear a bump. '_Dammit, dammit, dammit!' _And again, he tried to stir her awake, to let her know that she BETTER FRICKIN' LET GO OF HIM because they had company. He knew that if they were caught this way, tomorrow wouldn't be such a good day.

Oh _no_, it wouldn't be such a good day, indeed.

Once more, from outside, "Mahiru?"

'_Damn vampires and their night instincts.'_

"Hey, I think I smell someone else in there…"

'_Damn werewolves and their noses.'_

Mitsuru had to act fast, before the two became suspicious. But how? Where could he go? He couldn't go alone, seeing as Mahiru wouldn't let go of him. So he'd just have to take her with him…

'_Ugh, damn girl.'_

A fleeting thought came through him: he seemed to be cussing everything, so he might as well curse the whole world.

So, he did.

'_Damn the whole frickin' universe.'_

And that was that.

A glance at the girl in his arms, then at her messy room, then at the one salvation they could use for their escape.

'_Lucky she keeps her window open,' _Mitsuru thought, before sprinting as fast as he could and jumping out from the two storey building.

…Crazy? Yes. Suicidal? Yes. Desperate? Most definitely.

But he was a tengu, wasn't he? And the winds immediately responded to his call.

…The door opened a few seconds later, but Nozomu and Akira were left with only a flapping curtain and a mess of an unfinished painting.

---

She was heavier when asleep, he thought grimly.

"Oy," He called out, shaking her a little bit. "Wake up already!"

Mahiru stirred, and Mitsuru wanted to cry out, "FINALLY!_" _but held back for the sake of his pride. He, of all people, was not the kind of person who just screamed out at random moments. No, he wasn't. _Really._

…

—Okay, so maybe his spontaneous fits of anger could be classified as someone screaming out frustration at random moments. But really, now! That was a different thing. A totally different thing.

Besides, who wouldn't feel exasperated in his position?

"…Mitsuru?" It looked like the princess finally came to. Her eyes blinked open, slowly, and instinctively, her grip on him tightened. She shifted a little, feeling comfortable, unknowing and oblivious to the fact that she was currently miles _above_ ground and that she was _definitely_ _not_ in her bed. "Hmmm…"

Mahiru's mind was in a haze. She felt very cold, although she clearly remembered turning off her electric fan so that her art materials wouldn't get blown away. But still, there was wind. So why…?

It took a while for her eyes to focus. A familiar feeling came over her—it was something that resembled thrill and excitement—almost like she was _soaring_; and of course, it only happened when…

"AH!"

Her arms wrapped around his neck, frantically, as if afraid she would fall. But of course, she wouldn't. He made sure of that a long time ago.

Mitsuru then scowled at her, disliking the ringing of her scream in his ear. "You didn't have to shout," He scolded, but held her tighter anyway. "Dammit, you stupid girl. This is your fault…"

Since she just woke up, Mahiru was, of course, _clueless. _"Huh?" Blink blink. "My fault?"

He merely scowled at her, annoyed at her feigning innocence.

Yet she didn't wonder anymore, since this was Mitsuru after all, and he had a tendency to blame her for almost _every_ bad happening in the universe. So instead, "But I've been sleeping for the past…" Absentmindedly, she checked the time, "Three hours! I slept at the same time you started nightwatch!" She looked frustrated then, being awoken from her slumber in such a peculiar way. Frustrated and confused. "Mou, Mitsuru, I don't even know what's happening! What did I do this time? And why are we flying at a time like this?"

Indeed, why were they?

The tengu had a flashback of their certain scene on the princess' bed (which, by all means, Mahiru did not know of). He rolled his eyes, and for a moment there, heat rose to his cheeks. "You don't need to know."

"I think I _deserve_ to know, since you are blaming me for it, after all."

He really didn't know what to reply. How could he tell her that the reason they left the Moonshine was because he was nearly caught… well, in a position that indicated almost half _kissing _her? Not like he wanted to kiss her, mind you. Or maybe he did—; '_Ah, to hell with it.'_ He did not need a mental debated with his inner self right now. "…Argh, nevermind it."

Her voice was stern, if not stubborn. "Mitsuru…"

"Just drop it, okay? It doesn't matter."

Sometimes, it was a pain that her head was as thick as his. Looking determined, "…I'll scream if you don't tell me."

His reply was nonchalant, and, Mitsuru being Misturu, also very annoyed. "Whatever. Scream all you want. I'll let go of you."

She looked shocked, but then again, she also half-expected that he'd come up with such a threat. "You wouldn't!"

"If you don't shut the hell up, I would."

"That's mean!"

"See if I care."

She resisted the urge to smack him. "Mou!" And instead, she exasperatedly pressed her face on the crook of his neck, burying it there, obviously frustrated. It looked as if she were about to ramble on random things again, while reprimanding him in the process; but it seemed that something suddenly hit her memory and she nearly jolted in surprise. "Oh no!"

Mitsuru wanted to roll his eyes. And since nothing was stopping him, not like he'd let anything stop him anyway, he did. "What is it now?"

"My painting!"

An arched eyebrow. "What?"

"My painting! My art project! It's going to be submitted tomorrow!" And again, she took a glance at the watch. Her eyes went to its widest. "I forgot, it's two o'clock in the morning! It's going to be submitted _today_!"

"Painting?" At first, Mitsuru thought—'W_hat the hell is she talking about?' _But then, he remembered the mess in her room, and the canvas he had inspected. So, in realization, "Oh. You mean that piece of junk in your room?"

She gave an angry pout. "Piece of junk?"

He shrugged. "What else could it be?"

"You—of all people, _you_ should know!"

"Well, I don't, and I don't really give a damn."

She was silent for a while, her face twisting into something of mixed determination and irritation. Then, her expression changed into something that looked like almost as if she was contemplating, and still, no one spoke; until, "Look down."

He surely didn't expect that. "What?"

"Look down!" She said again, and pointed to the city lights below them. It was a few seconds before he could fully contemplate what she trying to tell him. He didn't quite understand why she wanted him to look down, and being him, he _wouldn't_ have complied to her request; but she tugged at his hair quite hardly and forced his head down.

It was a hazy image, because the wind was strong and they were just _too_ high up to see anything clearly—but those facts made the current view look just like her painting, minus the pastel moon.

Her artwork, he then realized, was that of someone flying, looking down at the world below from a higher point of view.

She giggled then, seeing his almost shocked expression. (He tried not to look _too_ amazed, because it would only give her the pleasure of seeing him defeated. Besides, there was also his pride to consider.) "You recognize it now, don't you?" She murmured, smiling. "It's my painting. I tried to draw how _you_ see the world from above."

He seemed flustered. "And why the hell would you do that?"

Mahiru shrugged. "I don't know. It seemed interesting at the time. And besides…" She stopped, suddenly hugging him almost completely now. "…It's pretty."

Mitsuru didn't know how to feel about this. Was he supposed to be touched? Grateful? Appreciative? "…Whatever."

"Meanie." She pounded on his chest a little, but after a few moments, he could feel her shaking with laughter. "You're funny when flustered, Mitsuru."

He really wanted to drop her now. "Argh, shut the hell up!"

A moment to regain composure, then silence for a while—"Well, I won't keep quiet until you bring me back to the Moonshine. Or…" There was a knowing yet feigning innocent smile on her lips. "…Until you tell me the reason why we're flying outside in the middle of the night."

Of course, for Mitsuru, the second option was out of the question.

He sighed. He had to take her back, then. But why did she want to go back again? Oh yeah, her accursed artwork needed to be finished. '_Dammit.'_ They hadn't been gone for long—Nozomu and Akira might still be awake, waiting for them. He needed to keep away from them 'til morning—he didn't want _any_ questions as to what happened in the princess' room that night.

But knowing his housemates… since when had _anything_ been kept a _secret_?

Mitsuru let out an annoyed grunt. '_No choice now, though.'_ Mahiru could be pretty stingy when it came to something she wanted. But since when did she learn to bribe? "Alright, I'm going back already, dammit. Besides, the stupid wolf and vampire might be worried out of their wits already."

"Nozomu and Akira? Why?"

He realized that he had nearly slipped a clue to what he was hiding. Nearly stuttering because of shock (lucky he was able to keep composed), "No reason. You know them two. They worry too much about a loser who doesn't know how to take care of herself."

"That's mean!"

"It's true anyway."

"Mitsuru!"

And for a fleeting moment, Mahiru thought she had seen the slightest bit of a smirk come up the tengu's face. Unable to help it the overwhelming emotion for the moment, she murmured, "You smiled…"

He rolled his eyes, but there was amusement in his voice.

"…Shut up."

---

"There. All done!"

It was already four thirty in the morning.

"…Mitsuru?"

No response.

Mahiru arched an eyebrow as she looked up from her canvas, her orbs scanning the room to find the tengu. "Mitsu—oh!" Her voice stopped in mid-sentence, clearly surprised. "He must be tired because of flying at the middle of the night…"

She smiled softly at his figure, which was rested clumsily atop her bed. Putting down the painting and approaching him with tip-toeing footsteps, she kneeled at the bedside, observing his face as close as possible. She giggled slightly, because she knew she'd never be able to do this if he was awake.

"He looks like a little kid, sleeping like this," Mahiru murmured, as her fingers slowly rose to touch his face. She felt an itch to play with his hair, to feel the softness of the strands under her touch, twirling it and twirling it until she got bored…

Her giddy teenage mind entertained the idea happily. Also, what she would do to have a camera right then and there; to capture Mitsuru in his most vulnerable moments without him knowing…

"What the hell are you doing?"

—Or not.

The princess jumped back at the sound of his voice, and at the warmth of his hand around hers. Apparently, he had caught her roaming fingers even before she could touch him.

Mahiru blushed. "N-nothing!" She murmured, laughing slightly. "I was, uh, trying to wake you up!"

He groaned and murmured a string of curses before releasing her hand and sitting up. "Dammit." He didn't even seem ashamed that he was asleep on _her_ bed. Then, in an annoyed tone, "What time is it, anyway?"

"Four thirty or such."

"Four thirty?" He'd been asleep for nearly two hours?

A nod, and Mahiru then began moving away from him to go back to her painting. "Yup. I have to get to school soon…" Well, not _too_ soon, she added mentally. She wanted to have just a little shut eye before she woke up again and did her daily morning rituals. It wasn't easy being up almost the whole night… "After I go to sleep a little more… wake me up at six, okay, Mitsuru…?"

And even before he could protest, her body was already slumped on the floor.

Mitsuru wanted to curse badly. "Dammit. She goes sleeping on the floor, I have to carry her to the bed all over again…" But then again, he was on her bed, even 'til _now_. So it was technically his fault she wasn't able to lie down properly, but he'd never admit that. "Damn woman…"

Frustrated, he stood up and avoided the mess everywhere, getting to the princess and hastily carrying her in his arms.

As he walked towards her bed again, he caught a glance at her painting. The painting which she said she based off _him_, of how _he _saw the world.

"_And besides… it's pretty."_

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. The girl was more deluded than he thought. How could she have _ever_ considered that flying with him and seeing the scenery was _pretty _(note that he thought the word was too girly for his tastes) when all he ever did was insult her?

He tore his eyes away from the painting and focused them back on the princess. "_Baka yaro musume_." He tried giving off a glare to her, but for reasons unfamiliar even to him, it slightly wavered. Nevertheless, he had already reached the bed.

And again, like what he did previously, he dropped her.

And again, like what happened previously, he was pulled down.

"Damn girl!" He hissed, trying to ignore the coming of the burning of his cheeks. "Not again!" And he struggled to get out of her grasp, to untangle her fingers from his shirt; but it was odd—her grip was stronger than the previous night's. Something at the back of his mind told him that it was almost fishy, but he ignored it and focused at the task at hand.

Just as he was about to release his frustration on his vocabulary again, three knocks echoed from the room's entrance door.

Mitsuru felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

'_Dammit, dammit, dammit!'_

"Mahiru-chan?"

Yes, déjà vu indeed.

But before he was able to do anything drastic, a finger stopped his mouth and a giggle stopped his movement.

Mahiru's voice then echoed, "Yes, Akira-kun, Nozomu-kun?"

If there was something Mitsuru wanted to do more than anything at the moment, that would be to personally kill Shiraishi Mahiru.

Muffled voices could be heard outside the doorway. First, the werewolf, "Are you alright, Mahiru-chan?" Then, the vampire, "We heard some uncomfortable struggling. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine!" The princess shouted back, trying to contain something like _amusement_. "I was just going back to sleep. I just finished my art project."

"Eh? Just now?" Much to Mahiru's (and Mitsuru's) dismay, it looked like Nozomu was trying to pry something up. "Do you want us to come in and guard you? Mitsuru's missing, and I don't know if he did nightwatch… we were scared when you weren't in your room awhile ago, but Misoka said you might've just went outside for a walk. You shouldn't do that alone at night, you know, it might not be safe."

"Oh! Don't trouble yourself, I'll be fine." Mahiru's voice was as sweet as honey, but the tengu couldn't really concentrate because his thoughts were more focused on how both of them were _too_ close for comfort. Nevertheless, he still noticed how her words faltered a bit. Was she _really_ sleepy, or was it only for act? "I just want to rest a little bit before waking up again…"

It looked like there was someone who wanted to protest on it, but some footsteps came and Misoka's voice cut clearly from outside. "The princess needs her sleep, you two. Stop bothering her."

For a moment there, all hate Mitsuru had for the fox demon dissipated.

But only for a moment.

There were a few grumbles, but it was soon enough when they could hear almost nothing. The hallway outside the princess' room was empty again.

As soon as the coast was clear, Mitsuru didn't waste another second to make his vulgar thoughts known. "What the hell is the meaning of this, woman?"

Mahiru only gave a tired yet knowing grin. In a slightly sing-song voice, (_slightly_ only, because her brain throbbed of fatigue), "I think I just figured out why we were flying a while ago." She suppressed the urge to laugh, seeing her companion's slowly reddening face. "Déjà vu much, eh, Mitsuru?"

Her words slurred a bit, but he failed to notice it because he was thoroughly infuriated.

He took a fleeting moment to wonder why she wasn't the _least bit _bothered by their position. Maybe she was _that _sleepy. But after that moment had gone, he glared daggers and murmured, "Damn you."

…A small snore confirmed just how much the princess heard. Which was, obviously, _absolutely nothing_.

This only got the Lunar Race member more aggravated. "Argh! She hasn't let go of me yet!" He tried to pry his hands away._ 'Idiot! How does she keep her grip that strong anyway? Dammit…'_

This is why he hated her.

This is why he hated nightwatch!

He could feel her body's even breathing against his own, her breath inhaling and exhaling in a patterned manner.

Mitsuru thought hard. How was he going to wake her up, _again_? Nothing worked the last time, so it probably wouldn't work now. Shouting at her wasn't effective. Neither was shaking her, or jerking her, or slapping her, or nudging her, or suffocating her…

Wait.

'—_Hold that last thought.'_

Suffocating her…

His eyes darted to her somewhat parted lips. For a moment, he felt as if hell had just frozen over at the realization he just had. Suffocating her, eh? What a perfect plan.

A small smirk. Maybe it was uncalled for, but he couldn't help it. It _needed _to be done for the damn girl to awaken and release him. But what if vampire and werewolf boy walked in while he was ki—oops, nearly thought the… er, _inappropriate_ word—eh, _killing_ her? Well, _sort_ _of_ killing, anyway…

No matter.

He could already imagine Mahiru's surprised and struggling face after this. Ah, revenge was sweet.

"Mitsuru? Ah, what are you—mmmph! Mmmpphhh—mmm…"

Maybe nightwatch wasn't so bad after all.

---

**Authoress' Notes: **To clear a confusion up—_no, dahlings,_ Mahiru was not killed by Mitsuru. But I'm sure most of you already know that. Fu fu fu. So what did Mitsuru do, then? Fluff and love. ;)

Smile, won't you? Someone up there loves you.

You may run away in madness now (or you may leave a review).

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